as in seducing
to influence someone with a bribe
meat inspectors were bribed, and the contaminated beef was sold to the public
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Recent Examples of bribing
And after CLEAResult fired Darlington in 2017, the brothers began bribing CLEAResult employee Peter Marra — sending him cash and gift cards for special favors like getting heads-ups on inspections and audits.
—
Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 4 Apr. 2026
Asha was bribing people to use a scale!
—Rebecca Firkser, Bon Appetit Magazine, 2 Apr. 2026
Trump in February 2025 issued an executive order pausing new investigations under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which prohibits citizens and companies from bribing foreign entities to advance their business interests.
—Ken B. Morales, ProPublica, 31 Mar. 2026
Saudi Arabia may still be able to get its tankers through the Red Sea by bribing the Houthis, Axios reports.
—Jim Edwards, Fortune, 30 Mar. 2026
Two executives of a large utility, FirstEnergy, are now on trial for allegedly bribing Randazzo, who died by suicide after his own indictment.
—Chicago Tribune, 17 Mar. 2026
Smartmatic's parent company was charged in a Florida federal court in October with conspiring to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act by bribing a Philippine government official to get business, and with conspiring to launder money.
—Aysha Bagchi, USA Today, 10 Mar. 2026
John Herzog, a contractor for an unnamed wine supplier, pleaded guilty last year to bribing Briones and buyers from other retail chains with items such as a $2,000 exercise bike.
—Aldo Toledo, San Francisco Chronicle, 9 Mar. 2026
Smith and other fixers are accused of recruiting and bribing players to underperform in games so that their team failed to cover spreads.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 9 Mar. 2026
Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 4 Apr. 2026
Asha was bribing people to use a scale!
—Rebecca Firkser, Bon Appetit Magazine, 2 Apr. 2026
Trump in February 2025 issued an executive order pausing new investigations under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which prohibits citizens and companies from bribing foreign entities to advance their business interests.
—Ken B. Morales, ProPublica, 31 Mar. 2026
Saudi Arabia may still be able to get its tankers through the Red Sea by bribing the Houthis, Axios reports.
—Jim Edwards, Fortune, 30 Mar. 2026
Two executives of a large utility, FirstEnergy, are now on trial for allegedly bribing Randazzo, who died by suicide after his own indictment.
—Chicago Tribune, 17 Mar. 2026
Smartmatic's parent company was charged in a Florida federal court in October with conspiring to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act by bribing a Philippine government official to get business, and with conspiring to launder money.
—Aysha Bagchi, USA Today, 10 Mar. 2026
John Herzog, a contractor for an unnamed wine supplier, pleaded guilty last year to bribing Briones and buyers from other retail chains with items such as a $2,000 exercise bike.
—Aldo Toledo, San Francisco Chronicle, 9 Mar. 2026
Smith and other fixers are accused of recruiting and bribing players to underperform in games so that their team failed to cover spreads.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 9 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bribing
Verb
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On the left, he’s heralded as the only voice capable of seducing young men disaffected by party politics.—
Abigail Sylvor Greenberg,
Vanity Fair,
20 Mar. 2026
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One of her alternate personalities — the cold and calculating Samantha — joins law enforcement to pursue her father’s killers, while other identities begin to surface with their own motives, seducing and manipulating powerful men as Sylvia’s search for justice veers into vengeance.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The vinegar helps keep bees away while still luring wasps into the trap.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Miami Herald,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Floating alone where the North Atlantic and Arctic oceans meet, this island nation was long considered too out-of-the-way for travelers … until airlines like Icelandair started luring Americans with cheap flights to Europe that included a stopover in Iceland.—
Tribune News Service,
Baltimore Sun,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
At Harmar Bait and Tackle, there was a steady stream of customers either buying bait or getting trout fishing licenses.—
Ricky Sayer,
CBS News,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Sleeping positions and firmness Beyond mattress type, your preferred sleep position and mattress firmness (how hard or soft a bed feels) are other important factors to consider when buying a mattress.—
Sharon Brandwein,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
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That would involve changing some state laws, persuading housing lenders to be more accommodating and overcoming resistance from construction unions.—
Dan Walters,
Mercury News,
3 Apr. 2026
-
The job of persuading players with Congolese ties to represent the country’s national team on its long-shot run to the World Cup fell to Gabriel Zakuani, a Congolese player whose career had been spent mostly in England.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Meanwhile, the Pima County Sheriff Office investigating Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance is facing troubles of its own, as a former sheriff has accused current leadership of ‘corrupting’ the crime scene, and a deputy has been arrested and fired on a kidnapping charge.—
Giulia Carbonaro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
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For Hildegard of Bingen, the German mystic, scientist, composer, and philosopher, women’s maternal bodies were not corrupting and degrading, but strong, nurturing, and creative.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Without a bobber stopper, on a slack line, your bullet weight will sink to the bottom, but your soft plastic will slowly glide towards the bottom while enticing hungry bass into biting.—
Derek Horner,
Outdoor Life,
2 Apr. 2026
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Detectives reviewed the materials and obtained a warrant charging Melnick with harmful communications with a minor, enticing a minor and misrepresenting age to entice a minor.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In addition to having those 14 months taken off his overall sentence, Combs is also likely eligible for a reduction in his sentence under the First Step Act and by participating in a drug rehabilitation program.—
Peter Charalambous,
ABC News,
9 Apr. 2026
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In short, having patrons pump their own gas allowed gas stations to remain competitive.—
Laura Kiniry,
Popular Science,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Steven White told me that Marsha Allen had killed her husband, Harold, by poisoning a root beer float.—
Peter Van Sant,
CBS News,
5 Apr. 2026
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In the Middle Ages, local churchgoers whispered of clannish Jews poisoning wells to kill Christian children and steal their blood for their rituals.—
Mike Rothschild,
Big Think,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bribing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bribing. Accessed 11 Apr. 2026.
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